VALLEY OF THE DOLLS (1967)

Recently undergoing something of a critical reevaluation (the book more than the film), up-to-date ‘party line’ critical academic theory now values Jacqueline Susann’s purple prose page-turners as a pop feminine litmus test of changing social norms.  It makes for a nice PhD thesis, but the film does little to uphold the argument.  Instead, it was correctly understood and commercially successful as instant camp; the thudding last gasp in a chain of FOX films charting the paths of three gal pals, their life, love, careers & personal catastrophes; with titles going back to the early ‘30s.  More specifically, following up on those CinemaScope triptychs (the wide frame ratio just made for bosom-buddy trios) from HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE/’53 to THREE COINS IN THE FOUNTAIN/’54 and THE BEST OF EVERYTHING/’59.  (Many more in-between.)  Each one coming in a bit more shaded than the last before reaching SusannLand where big city stress, sex, addiction (pills & booze), bad relationships and suicide are seen thru a glass darkly.  And yet, it's somehow all inadvertently hilarious, dumbed down to a playing level that leaves no one unscathed.  (On screen and off, none of the major creatives in front or behind the camera ever worked on a quality project again.*)  Patty Duke wins the booby prize (ironically with the smallest ‘boobies’ in the pic!), over-emoting to beat the band as the too-much-too-soon self-centered singing star who self-destructs on ‘reds’ and ‘blues’; Barbara Perkins the boring one gets VOGUE-ish pseudo Pop fashion montages as inadequate recompense; Sharon Tate stoops to conquer, making ‘artistic’ soft-porn to support a husband under a neurological death sentence.  Meanwhile, ‘guest star’ Susan Hayward shows up to top & tail as a B’way legend sporting hideous sparkly outfits that don’t suit her.  (Left over when Judy Garland ankled just before filming?)  Two more Susann laughers followed, THE LOVE MACHINE/’71 and ONCE IS NOT ENOUGH/’75.  By then, who cared?

ATTENTION MUST BE PAID:  *The one exception is the score, especially the title song which everyone thinks is by Burt Bacharach (Dionne Warwick sings it), but actually is Dory & André Previn.